Reaper's Choice
by rainbowstrike
Summary: Danny Fenton is caught between this life and the next. It's never been a problem before. But his time is up, and Death has decided that it is time to claim him. His parents' invention made him this way... can they help him cheat death now? Pre PP.
1. A prologue of sorts

**A/N;**

**I had another idea for a DP fic, so here it is. I have a vague idea of where it's going, but other than that... kuhbleh. Bear with me. -grins-**

**Thanks in advance to any readers, reviewers, favers, alerters, etc. You guys pretty much rock.**

**Hope you enjoy the story.**

**-Rain**

_Green eyes snap open._

His head pounded, his body ached, and his mind jolted to a sluggish start as he sat up and brushed back strands of his hair. _Man_, he coughed a little, crimson spit hitting the pavement, _what the hell happened to me?_

_He stands, snowy white hair falling over glowing orbs. _

He leant against a nearby building for support, blinking rapidly and trying to clear his head. He couldn't remember fighting any ghosts; no fight scenes came to mind at all. The last thing he remembered was walking home from detention. It had been late afternoon... Lancer had kept him back for... for... right. The History assignment he never started. He'd just been walking home... that didn't explain why he'd passed out, or why the tingle of ectoplasm in his veins told him he was in his ghost form.

_He considers changing back, but exhaustions forces him to stay in his ghostly form. _

He stepped away from the wall in shock, glancing around hurriedly, heart pounding. Had anyone seen him? For the first time, he noticed where he was; a deserted alleyway, trash cans lining the walls. A furry rodent scurried fast, and Danny tried not to recoil away. Disgusting. Oh well, he could probably assume no one had seen him; he wasn't in some lab, being poked with needles or anything.

_He sighs, relieved, but something else is gnawing at him. _

Still, even though he wasn't at the mercy of the GIW or his parents, or anyone else, he couldn't shake the uneasiness that had settled in the pit of his stomach. Something had changed. He felt... different. Glancing up at the rapidly darkening sky, Danny decided he needed to get going. Unless his parents were preoccupied with some new ghost tech, they'd probably be worrying about him. Fighting tiredness, he tried forcing the blue rings to turn him back into Danny Fenton, but they stopped halfway up his arms before disappearing. Danny groaned, lifting himself into the air with some difficulty. Slowly but surely, he flew through the sky towards the bright neon sign that read 'Fenton Works', and phased through to his bedroom.

_He realised his mistake a little too late. _

Danny groaned and collapsed on his bed, feeling the sting of tiredness as he closed his eyes. He had to change back... had to walk through the front door as Danny Fenton... he pulled himself to a wobbly standing position and phased through the floor, flying out through the front door and collapsing on the pavement. _Damn it_.

He forced the blue rings to work, sighing with relief as Phantom turned into Fenton once more. Danny blamed the effort it took to change back on tiredness, and trudged inside once more.

_Icy blue orbs flicker around searchingly. _

He couldn't see his parents anywhere, or Jazz for that matter. "Hey, guys?" he called, walking a few paces forward, "I'm home!"

A loud _boom_ sounded from the basement, followed by loud coughing. "Maddy! The Fenton Nose plugs still have a few kinks to work out before they're fully operational!" Jack yelled. "Danny! Come and help out!" Danny shook his head, _Fenton Nose plugs?_, and dragged himself upstairs to his bedroom. He wasn't feeling well enough to have all his parents' ghost equipment go off around him; he wanted to sleep. So that's what he did.

_All thoughts flying from his mind, the halfa falls into a restless sleep. He doesn't understand what happened to him today, or why he is so exhausted, but he saves those worries for later. All that matters is chasing away the tiredness, so he closes his eyes. _

_Unbeknownst to him, a figure hovers over his house, a deadly, supernatural weapon cradled in his arms. He glares at the name inscribed on his parchment that has been there for a long time. Too long, in the figure's opinion. _

_He always got the souls on his list. The halfa has been loitering in this life for too long, frozen in-between life and death. _

_The Reaper has decided that it is time Daniel Fenton crosses over... permanently._

**A/N;**

**Yeah... Okay. I know where this is going now. **

**R & R? **


	2. The first chapter

**A/N;**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed/favourited and alerted. It's because of you guys that I'm updating again so fast :) **

**-Rain**

Danny was awoken by the shrill ringing of his cell phone. He groaned, rolling over and stuffing the pillow over his ears, but it did nothing to muffle the sound. Glaring at it, he flipped it open and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey man, where were you yesterday?" Tucker's questioning voice greeted him. "Sam and I waited, but you never showed." Rubbing his bleary eyes, Danny tried to remember what Tucker was talking about.

"Oh, man! The thing at the Nasty Burger... Look Tuck, I don't know what happened to me yesterday. I feel... worse than death." He grimaced, trying to shake the horrible acidy feeling in his chest, "Sorry."

"That's alright; we figured you were sleeping or something. Do you wanna come over today? Bloody Zombie Madness 2 is _way _better with two people." Tucker asked. Danny squeezed his eyes shut against his throbbing headache.

"Why don't you ask Sam?"

"Because... she's... busy. Yeah, busy." His friend replied hastily. Danny almost smiled.

"You mean she kicks your butt at it every time, so you hate playing with her?" he corrected. Tucker snorted.

"Yeah right. Anyway dude, you up for it?"

"Sorry Tucker. I'm really... not feeling great. At all. I'll call you later?"

"You're gonna spend all Saturday in bed?"

"Yeah. I'm going back to bed now, goodbye, Tucker!"

"Danny-"

Danny hung up, turning his phone off and hurling it back onto his desk. He moaned, rolling onto his stomach and closing his eyes. He felt like he'd been shoved in a blender, set to 'pulverise' and had been stuck in there for a few hours. His muscled felt shredded, his head felt a million pounds heavier than usual, and to top it all off...

He had dry lips, and he couldn't muster the energy to lick them. Damn it.

"_Danny_!" his mother chirped from somewhere downstairs, "Come on, sweetheart! Today's a _beautiful_ day, and your father and I need your help in the lab!"

It was all he could do to grind out, "Can't Jazz do it?!"

"She had homework to do. Come on, sleepy head! Let's get moving! Don't make me throw cold water all over you again."

Despite all his aches and pains, Danny got moving. His mother, when she wanted something, was ruthless in getting it. The water would not only be cold, it would be _icy_. Complete with ice cubes. No sudden illness was worth braving _that_ on a Saturday morning.

Still, he thought as he stumbled and fell onto his knees, coughing hoarsely, maybe he should see a doctor. He heard the sound of footsteps, and groaned. Great, he'd attracted the attention of his mom.

"Danny! Sweetie are you oka- Oh Danny! What are you doing down there?"

_What does it look like I'm doing_? "Um, just got a little dizzy for a sec... fell down..." Immediately his mom was at his side, helping him to his unsteady feet. "Thanks."

She yanked off her glove and felt his forehead. "You're burning up! Get back into that bed, Danny Fenton. You're not going anywhere today." Danny repressed a grin, thanking whoever made the calls in his life that he didn't have to help his parents with... whatever, and climbed back under the sheets.

"That's probably a good idea," he agreed, clearing his throat and shutting his eyes, "thanks, Mom." She brushed back his hair, her face tight with worry.

"I'll be right back with some chicken soup!" she announced, dashing out the door.

"Mom, wait-!" But she was already gone. Danny sighed. His Mom's cooking was... dangerous. And that was putting it mildly. Oh well, he figured he could always throw it out the window if it looked particularly toxic. His breathing quieting, he felt himself drifting into a restless sleep, filled with nightmares...

--

"_Awaken," the voice was low and urgent, and the young halfa soon felt cold hands shaking him into a sitting position. The ever-changing face of Clockwork stared at him solemnly, not waiting for a response before yanking Danny to his feet, "We need to hurry." _

"_Why?" Danny asked, waiting for the ever-present of pain to kick it. It didn't. He stared at his hands, which seemed... paler than usual. He glanced around, noting the glowing greenness off his surroundings. He was definitely in the ghost zone, but there was something strange about it. Everything seemed a little... darker. More shadowy. Colder. _

"_I can't keep you here for long. Time is ticking." _

"_Time isn't usually an issue for you." Danny smiled. Clockwork shook his head._

"_It is an issue for you. Come, we have wasted enough precious moments." Clockwork turned and retreated swiftly, leaving Danny to soar after him. _

"_Clockwork! Why am I here? Where _is_ here?"_

"_The ghost zone. I thought you would recognise it. Perhaps I am assuming too much. We are in Death's territory." _

"_Death?" Danny echoed, their flight never losing pace, "What do you mean, 'Death'?" _

"_I mean, quite literally, Death. "The Grim Reaper". He is a ghost, just like you and me. Well, like me, anyway." Clockwork explained. Danny gulped, knowing that if he was human his heart would have plummeted all the way to his shoes. _

"_Why are we here?" _

"_I am not sure yet. I just know there is a specific time that I must be here, and you with me. I assume that I need your help again, young halfa."_

"_Oh, well no problem. I'm feeling fine now. Although maybe not fine enough to go up against the Reaper. We won't have to fight him, will we?" _

"_I know nothing of our current predicament yet. This is a precautionary trip, assuming that I do in fact need your help. I apologise for dragging you here, but I prefer to be 'safe rather than sorry'. I know that you are involved somehow, Danny, I just pray that you will not have responsibility placed on your shoulders yet again." _

"_I don't think I understand, Clockwork. We're in Death's territory, but you don't know why. You don't know why I'm here, only that I'm involved somehow. And we have to hurry, right?"_

"_Correct."_

"_Well, we're pretty much going in there blind."_

"_Also correct." _

"_Well... why?"_

"_Because that is the way it must be. I can only tell you this for sure, Danny..._ Here's your chicken soup, sweetie!"

"_What?" Danny exclaimed, halting his flight. Clockwork turned around, frowning._

"_I said; _wake up, Danny. You'll feel better once you eat this!_"_

_His mother's voice rang true through Clockwork's mouth, and Danny felt himself being yanked backwards at an alarming speed. Death's domain began to fade, blackness plaguing him once more. Damn._

--

Danny rubbed his eyes, sitting up too quickly and wincing. Okay, the pain was definitely back. He planned to sleep it off later. His mom beamed at him, holding out a steaming bowl of what was hopefully chicken soup. Surprisingly, it actually looked... edible.

"Did you make that yourself?" he asked uneasily. His mom shook her head.

"Didn't have time, sweetheart! It was one of those instant meals, I hope you don't mind." He took it from her, placing it on his lap. He managed a grin, spooning a mouthful past his lips.

"Don't mind at all, Mom. Thank you."

He pushed all thoughts of Clockwork and the strange dream out his mind for the moment, hoping to speak to Sam and Tucker about it later. For now, all he wanted was the care of his mother and his warm bed.

He deserved that, every once in a while.

**A/N;**

**Okay. Here's the thing; I have no idea what Clockwork calls Danny. Daniel? Young Halfa? Danny? I've completely blanked. Most people call him Danny though, so let's roll with that. Hope you all enjoyed the update, and if you can, please leave a review. They brighten up my day. **

**Thanking you kindly,**

**-Rain**


	3. The second chapter

**A/N;**

**Hey, I have a question for you guys. In this fic, I was trying out a different writing style. This is way formal and descriptive, compared to what I usually write. Does this style of writing irritate you, or should I keep it as is? I think I'll tone down the extra words and stuff though. Sound good?**

**Thank you to all my favers/alerters/reviewers. Love you guys.**

**-Rain**

"He took you _where_?" Sam asked in disbelief, "Danny, that sounds dangerous. Seriously dangerous." Danny shrugged, taking another slurp of his soda. Tucker and Sam, sitting at his desk and on the end of his bed, eyed him curiously.

"You're not worried?" Tucker asked. Danny shook his head.

"Why? I'm still here, nothing happened, and it _was _only a dream. I'm pretty sure it was just Clockwork's way of warning me." He replied. "Guys, I feel too crap to worry about anything."

"Still... just be careful if you have that dream again, okay? I mean, it's the _Grim Reaper's_ domain. That's a little freaky, although really cool. What did it look like?" Sam said thoughtfully.

"It looked like the rest of the ghost zone, except... there were shadows everywhere. And that doesn't even make sense, because I didn't even know the ghost zone _had_ shadows. And it was cold. Really cold. I didn't see a palace or anything, but we weren't very far in I don't think." He explained.

"What would the Grim Reaper want with you anyway?" Tucker asked. Danny shook his head.

"It's not me he wants. Clockwork never said that." He said hastily. Truthfully, he was a little bit shaken. Death was a scary guy, if all the superstitions about him were correct. If he had a problem with Danny, then Danny was screwed. The Grim Reaper wasn't like the Box Ghost, or Skulker, or even Vlad Plasmius. Would a Fenton Thermos even work on him? Still, he didn't feel like thinking about it.

"We need to figure out why you crashed in that alley yesterday afternoon," Sam said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "Do you think a ghost could be behind it?"

"How could a ghost not be behind it?" Danny replied, lying back on the bed he'd been confined to all day, "I'd say Vlad, but usually he would've made an appearance by now."

"Or after he knocked you out, he would've taken you back to his evil, secret, I-live-alone-and-it's-very-obvious lair to make you his son." Tucker added with a smirk. Danny shuddered.

"Okay, let's rule out Vlad. What about Skulker?" he suggested. Sam shook her head.

"Nah, same problem. He's got that obsession with your pelt, remember?" she replied.

"Technus? Ember? Penelope Spectra? The _Box Ghost_? Who knows? All I know is that I'll be fine. I always am." Danny smiled reassuringly.

"But you're not fine," Sam pointed out, scowling, "You're bedridden."

"Guess Danny Phantom is no match for a little sickness, huh?" Tucker grinned.

"Yeah... I think I'll be out of commission for a while." Danny yawned.

"Maybe you can get a few days off school with this one. You look pretty horrible."

"Thanks, Tucker."

The three friends sat in silence; Danny's laboured breathing and the faint sound of Tucker tapping on the desk unnaturally loud. What now? Danny was out of it; he was in no shape to fight ghosts. He'd obviously been attacked – why else would he have blacked out with no memory? – and they had no idea who did it. If a ghost attacked, and Danny Phantom wasn't there to save the town, who would? Sure, Sam and Tucker knew a few things about ghost hunting, and Danny's parents weren't totally clueless, but really? Danny did the hard-core butt kicking. He'd been sick before, but not _this_ sick. Danny was a fighter; he wouldn't agree to stay in bed unless he was really feeling terrible.

He had to get better, or, as Sam put it, "The town is screwed."

Danny smiled. "I'll be okay soon enough. You guys should probably go; I don't want you to catch whatever this is. Trust me, it's not fun." He began coughing again, and was met with sympathetic smiles from his friends.

"Get well soon, man." Tucker said as he left. Sam lingered behind, her expression torn.

"Feel better, okay? And don't try and get out of bed." She instructed. Danny rolled his eyes, but grinned.

"Yes, _Mom_." He teased. Sam smirked.

"And eat your vegetables."

"Always."

"Stay in school."

"Of course."

They grinned at each other, the silence between them comfortable and easy. That was part of what Danny loved about being friends with Sam- there wasn't always that pressure to make conversation. They could sit, just sit, and be happy. They didn't always talk, because they didn't have to. It was... nice.

After a while, Sam pulled his bedroom door open. "I probably should go. I told my parents I'd be home a while ago."

"Alright. I'll see you... whenever I see you." Danny replied, lying back and yawning. "I'm going to have a nice sleep, and forget to forget all about ghosts and weird illnesses. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Sam smiled as she slipped quietly out into the hallway, leaving her best friend to sleep.

**A/N;**

**As much as I hate fillers, I had to do this. I needed to write SOMETHING to get the story going again. So I'm really sorry, the action will maybe be back the next chapter.**

**Also, remember that everything I do when I write, I do for a reason. So if you're sitting there going HUH? In the future chapters, just remember that I probably have a plan for it. **

**-hugs reviewers- You guys are my sunshine. You rock. **

**-Rain**


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